The plant will generate 117MWe and will supply electricity to the national grid. It is scheduled to be operational in January 2011. The order has been placed by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (Kengen), a partly state owned utility.
Wartsila will supply seven of its 18V46 engines, initially to be run on heavy fuel oil, to provide the generating capacity for flexible baseload supply. The delivery also includes a gas insulated switchgear substation for connection to the existing grid.
Tony Velzen, regional director (Africa), Wartsila Power Plants, said: “Our customer requested a fast track project with reliable equipment at a competitive price, and Wartsila was able to meet these demands. Additionally, the engines can be converted to gas when gas supply is locally available. Our local presence and ability to provide service support was also a critical factor in our being selected.”
When completed, the Kipevu III project will bring a total generating capacity delivered by Wartsila to Kenya in excess of 350MW.
